San Diego came in second among large cities in the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, according to the Wyland Foundation, which sponsored the contest.

Wyland, a renowned marine life muralist and conservationist, sponsored the contest along with and Toyota, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency and National League of Cities, in order to raise awareness of water.

"Access to a clean and reliable supply of fresh water is fundamental to our lives,” Wyland said in a statement. "Most people do not think about their water footprint and the extent to which water quality issues can impact them personally."

Billed as a “friendly non-profit competition” that asks mayors throughout the country to galvanize their residents to reduce water use, the contest asks customers to make online conservation pledges at www.mywaterpledge.com.

The pledges can range from fixing leaks to minimizing food waste, said Steve Creech, executive director of the Wyland Foundation.

“Americans discard 30 percent of the food they purchase, so there’s tremendous water wasted,” he said. “This is more global than just fix a leak.”

This year over 23,000 people across the nation agreed to take 277,742 specific actions over the next year to change the way they use water in the home yard, and the community.

A total of 224 San Diego residents made 2,765 separate pledges to reduce water waste, Creech said. He acknowledged, however, that some smaller cities tallied more than 1,000 participants, and said the sponsors hope more San Diegans participate next year.

“We try to make this encouraging, fun, participatory and goal-setting,” he said. “We’re trying to say this is a good, positive thing, When we all make tiny changes in our lifestyle we can make a huge impact.”